Precious Things
by viva rose
Summary: Set Before Crisis, during the Wutai War. Tseng was just supposed to observe. To take note of what was happening and report back what was going on in the human trafficking ring. Instead he got involved...Slight Tseng/Rufus
1. Chapter 1

Title: Precious Things

Rating: Hard M

Warning: Human trafficking, implied pedophilia and rape, murder

Pairing: Implied-ish Tseng/Rufus

/Wutaian launage/

"Bao" in Chinese and Vietnamese means "precious"/"precious treasure"/"precious gift", not to be confused with "panther" in Chinese which had an accent over the a.

Time Period: Before Crisis, during the Wutai War

Disclaimer: I don't own and I make no moneies from the following: Wutai, Tseng, Rufus, Midgar or anything FFVII related!

* * *

"We'll start the bidding at five thousand gil! Do I hear five thousand? Five thousand? Thank you sir! We've got five thousand, do I hear ten? Ten? Ten thousand? Yes ten thousand to the lady in red! Do I hear fifteen?" The auctioneer rattled off from the stage in the slums of Midgar. It was late Sunday night, and a group human trafficking agents had just brought in their latest group. This group in particular was younger then most were, boys and girls from all over Gaia, from the Costa, from Junon and there were even a few from Wutai. Some of them had no doubt been kidnapped or stolen from their homes and their parents, but there were a few without bruises whom could only have been sold to the traffickers by their families, the Wutaian War was taking a toll on every continent. No one was untouched by it. The oldest looked like he was barely ten. Most of these children would be lucky if they escaped as servants who would never be paid, the unlucky ones...

Tseng shifted from where he was standing against one of the back walls, watching the proceedings of the action with apparent disinterest. His assignment had been to find the source of these illegal trafficking rings, to take not of just who and what was being brought illegally into Midgar, but he was no to interfere, Verdot had been very specific about that. As far as to _why_ the Turks were doing this instead of the local police, oh that was right. Shin-Ra _was_ the authority in Midgar. Operations like this cut into profits as well, which was why Tseng was standing in the back of this dingy, stinking and over crowded room at two-forty-six AM instead at his apartment asleep.

"And now our last item tonight, a real beauty, very exotic, fresh from the temples of Wutai," the auctioneer announced as a small girl was led onto the stage and stripped, being made to turn around to show her health and physical condition. "This sweet little creature is eight years old, the perfect age for breaking in and training. So shall we start the bidding at oh say... fifteen thousand?" The girl was staring out into the crowd, her eyes large with ill-contained fear and tears. She was not underfed and her hair was long and braided back neatly, but she was dirty and looked like she was sick from the trip overseas in the cargo hold of the airship that had brought her. As the amount continued to climb, she bit her lip, hands clenched into tight little fists at her sides, trying to contain herself. Then her eyes locked onto Tseng's.

He stared back at her, not moving, not showing any reaction, no indication of caring. But she stared at him as if by doing so she might will him to move. That she could make him remember his forgotten roots in Wutai. That through some sort of common kinship he might reach out and rescue her. The Turk remained unmoved and cold as stone.

"One-hundred and fifty thousand! One-hundred and fifty thousand going once! Going twice! Three tim-"  
"Two hundred fifty thousand."

The auctioneer physically staggered as the voice came from the back of the room. Not yelling or clamoring like most other participants in the auctions did. Calm and cold. People were quiet now, turning around, looking to see who had placed the bid. Tseng made no motion to move, staying as still and nonchalant as he had been since he'd entered the room at the start of the evening.  
"Two hundred fifty thousand," the auctioneer repeated, a little weakly. "Going once. Going twice." he seemed to have trouble speaking and swallowing. "Three times, and sold to the gentleman in the black suit at the back of the room." The auction mallet slammed down and the girl was led off stage, people started to depart from the room.

He collected the girl, paying for her in most of his stock that he held within the company. The inner department employees got excellent stock options and Shin-Ra's value was only rising. He still had some shares left, enough in case something happened. They were the last ones to leave, he said nothing to her, hands and feet bound to prevent escape as he dumped her into the trunk of his car and started driving

Tseng was annoyed with himself. He had no good reason, granted no bad reason either, to purchase the girl, and yet he had. Verdot was going to want to know where all that stock had gone too. He sighed as he pulled into the parking garage of his apartment and killed the engine, leaning back against the seat rubbing his face with his hands. Why on Shiva's green Gaia had he...

_Sister..._

"Goddess help me," he murmured. He was going insane that was it. That had to be it. But then again he _did_ work for Shin-Ra, hell half of them were crazy, so he must just be joining them. With that not-so-comforting thought in mind he got out of the car and hauled the girl out of his trunk, she'd been remarkably quiet the whole time and remained so as he dragged her up to his apartment.  
Dropping her unceremoniously to the floor, he took a dagger from his boot and crouched next to her, cutting her bounds.

"So what is your name?" he asked her, playing with the dagger idly as he stared at her. She blinked blankly at him in confusion and then shook her head. Of course, a child this young would have had no exposure to the Midgarian language.  
/What is your name?/ he tried again, this time in Wutaian. She perked up a bit, wiping her nose on the back of her hand and bowing her head.  
/I have no name, it was taken from me when I was bought./  
/Your family sold you to Midgarian traders?/  
She nodded here, scrubbing a her eyes to rid herself of tears, despite that she looked like she'd been crying the entire ride to the apartment.  
/What service do you desire of me master?/ she whispered softly, looking like she was terrified of him now. /There are precious few Wutaian women here in Midgar, surely that is.../ her hands were curled in tight fists in her lap and she was shaking. /I pray that you kinder then the traders...please.../

_Don't cry sister. I'll protect you from the Shin-Ra dogs!_

Tseng frowned. It had not been uncommon to sell of children in Wutai if the family was strained, but they would _never _be sold to outsiders...  
/I was under the impression that your honour was still intact from the auctioneer.../ Tseng raised a curious eyebrow at the terrified girl. She raised her head and stared at him, tears streaming down her face, utterly terrified now.  
/They lied,/ she whispered, shrinking from him as she spoke. /Please don't send me back to them!/

_My home is being destroyed..._

/Be still, I'm not sending you back. My intent was not that of the flesh when I purchased you,/ Tseng said, his voice softer for a moment as he considered what course of action to take now that he had this girl. And that she was sobbing on his kitchen floor. /Get up then, let's get you clean. No more crying.../Tseng stood, offering the girl his hand and she took it, following him obediently, still sniffling.

* * *

/So what are you going to do with me?/ she asked him shyly a week later. The girl had been taken to a doctor, gotten clothes and when Verdot had asked where the better part of Tseng's stock shares had gone the Turk had simply replied that it was being invested in a "personal project".  
/Why do you ask for what you do not want?/ Tseng countered and she drew back from him, eyes wide and scared again. The Turk sighed, /Come here, we have much to discuss little one./  
Timidly she approached him again, stopping just out of arm's reach and he beckoned her closer. She took a single, tiny step closer.  
/I've given it much thought, little one. You need a name,/ he said, carefully resting a hand on her shoulder as she gazed up at him. /What do you think of 'Bao'?/

_It was my little sister's name._

For a moment he was afraid she was going to start crying again from her expression, she did that a lot. Mostly during the night, when she had ill dreams... Rufus had had a lot of those when he had been younger... But instead the first true smile he'd seen from her broke out onto her face and she nodded enthusiastically.  
/Well I'm glad we could agree on that,/ he said, letting the barest of his own smile show. /We've got a lot of work to do then Bao./  
/For what?/ she tilted her head curiously at him, taking another tiny step closer.  
/I'm going to give you a future./ Because no one deserved to be trapped in Midgar.

* * *

/I told you not to meet me here,/ he scolded her softly, unable to hide a smile as she ran up to him, her robes flying about, bright splashes of color against Midgar's gray concrete and smog. Bao blushed, but at least this time he was spared the flying tackle hug that she'd inflicted upon him the first time she'd met him getting off of work. For her to meet him in public was dangerous, it could be exploited as a weakness. Especially this close to the corporate building.

/I'm sorry, but I couldn't sit still at home,/ she was smiling. The past five years had been good ones. Tseng had taught her how to read and write not only in Wutain but Midgarian as well as math. He had patiently trained her in the various Wutaian arts and traditions that he could remember from his life before being a Turk. Soon she would be of a respectable, marriageable age by Wutaian standards. It was his hope that with the few connections he still had in Wutai that he could get her into the country and paired up with a good man. She deserved a life that was free of Midgar and all its corruption.

Even now she was chattering to him excitedly, babbling as he got her tea and himself coffee from the corner shop. The girl had grown, she was going to hit puberty soon and she had recovered at an astounding rate. She was smart, and fearless. Full of life and spunk, she didn't belong here in Midgar. And she was so precious, she reminded him so much of his little sister.

Even if Wutai had lost the war, Shin-Ra had not penetrated far into the continent, trusting fear to control the people. There was a very strong chance that she would be alright, that she could escape from this place and her past. That everything would be alright...

* * *

"I had no idea that you had a Lolita complex Tseng," Rufus smirked at him from behind his desk at the Turk. The Wutaian made no show of emotion, so the Vice President continued. "Or is it that you're missing things from home?" he tilted his head, rest it on a hand as he gazed at the Turk. Rufus hadn't missed the girl's first...enthusiastic greeting of the stoic Wutaian. She'd been showing up more and more and was apparently quite fond of Tseng...

"I'm hurt that you wouldn't tell me about her," Rufus stood from his desk, petting Dark Nation on her head as he did.  
"I assure you, there is nothing between the young lady and myself, Sir," Tseng said, watching the blonde's every move.  
"I don't believe you. In fact, I'm fairly certain that this is the 'personal project' that you've been working on all these years, isn't she?" Rufus moved closer to him, Dark Nation mirroring her master's motions to close in on the Turk. "Is she precious to you Tseng?" Rufus asked voice low and dangerous, now so close to the Turk that their suits were almost brushing.

"Sir..."

"Is she more precious to you then me?" There was the slightest of tremors in the blonde's voice and Tseng actually looked at him, and he remembered that Rufus was nearly ten years his junior. That the boy was still just that, no matter how much of a monster he showed himself to be for the sake of public face.

"Of course not," Tseng said softly and took the half step that brushed their bodies against each other and he gently stroked the boy's face. Rufus's eyes closed for a moment at the touch, leaning into it and shivering slightly before he straightened and his mask was back in place.  
"I shouldn't be precious to you Tseng," his voice was low and filled with warning and his blue eyes narrowed. "No one should be. Its dangerous and you know it. People get hurt that way."

"Dark Nation is precious to you is she not Sir?" Tseng glanced at the great black beast that was watching them and saw Rufus's expression waver for a moment.  
"No," the blonde said softly as he closed his eyes again, as if he was fighting down an emotion. "She is dispensable. Just a beast. Precious things only get broken and stolen from us. They are a liability, a weakness. And in our world we cannot have such things. Surely you see this?" he turned back to Tseng, tilting his head.

Tseng felt himself go cold and understood. It was a warning. Rufus was trying to warn him...

* * *

/Tseng you're home late!/ Bao came to greet him, her face concerned and brow wrinkled. /Your food got cold so I put it in the oven...What's wrong?/ She took his hands in hers when he didn't speak and didn't look at her. /Tseng.../

/We need to get you out of here. Now./ He said, but his voice wasn't urgent, it was...flat. There was no emotion in it. /There is no time to get your belongings, come./ He offered her his hand and hesitantly she took it, her eyes large with fear and confusion as he led her out into Midgar's muggy night.

They didn't drive, but walked at a brisk pace and he didn't let go of her hand the entire time.  
/Tseng what's happened? Tell me please! You're scaring me!/ she whispered to him as they walked, she was jogging to keep up with him so he wasn't dragging her. But he said nothing.

Finally they stopped, Bao doubled over and panting and when she straightened she saw they were at the airship docks. But there were no ships.  
/Tseng?/

/I'm sorry,/ he turned to her, no gun, no knife, just his bare hands and his face...finally showing an expression. And it was one of the utmost regret.

But much to his surprise, she smiled. Taking his hands in hers and pressing them over her breast so he could feel her heart beat.

"Its alright brother. I know. I've known for a long time that I would never make it back to Wutai alive," her eyes were shining with tears but she was still smiling. "I would rather pass into the Celestial Plains by your hand then by an attempt to weaken you and be a liability that brings you down."

Tseng moved his hands to cup her face and he rested his forehead against hers, swallowing hard to keep any noise from breaking from himself.

"Please forgive me then. Precious little sister," his voice didn't seem to want to work properly and it came out tight and cracking as he closed his eyes, pulling her into a tight hug. "My precious Bao."

"I already have. Now do it, quickly." She took a small step back from him, hands resting on his chest.

For one long moment he gazed at her, looking at how much she'd grown and regretting so deeply that she would never see their home again.

Then he took her head in his hands, one resting on the jaw the other on the back of her head, just below her hair that had fallen loose from its braids and bun in their flight to the docks. In a single motion he snapped her jaw loose and then in the next with both his hands going in opposite directions he twisted her head and her spine gave a terrific snap. The light when out from her eyes and slowly she crumpled down and forward, falling into his arms as she collapsed.

Slowly Tseng sank with her to the ground. He didn't cry, didn't show any emotion as he held her and finally laid her on the ground, stroking her face once more as he pulled a fire materia from his pocket and stood up...

* * *

As the sun rose the last of her body had burned away and the wind had carried the ashes out into the sea. Tseng was throwing rocks as hard as he could off the pier into the deep blue water. Silently Rufus came up behind him, Dark Nation in tow. The blonde stood next to him, gazing out over the sea and at the rising sun.

"I'm sure some of her ashes made it to Wutai," he said, voice soft and almost lost in the crash of waves and cries of gulls. Nothing could have saved the girl. Not even the gods could have. It was better this way. This was as close as Rufus could come to apologizing to his most trusted Turk for not being able to save her...

Tseng looked at him for a long moment, a rock clutched tightly in his hand. Finally he nodded. "I'm sure some of them did." He looked back out to the sea in the direction of his home country. "I'm sure of them did."


	2. Alternate Ending

A/N: Alt ending because I can and because it was suggested. Don't own and don't make money off it.

* * *

/Tseng you're home late!/ Bao came to greet him, her face concerned and brow wrinkled. /Your food got cold so I put it in the oven...What's wrong?/ She took his hands in hers when he didn't speak and didn't look at her. /Tseng.../

/We need to get you out of here. Now./ He said, but his voice wasn't urgent, it was...flat. There was no emotion in it. /There is no time to get your belongings, come./ He offered her his hand and hesitantly she took it, her eyes large with fear and confusion as he led her out into Midgar's muggy night.

They didn't drive, but walked at a brisk pace and he didn't let go of her hand the entire time.  
/Tseng what's happened? Tell me please! You're scaring me!/ she whispered to him as they walked, she was jogging to keep up with him so he wasn't dragging her. But he said nothing.

Finally they stopped, Bao doubled over and panting and when she straightened she saw they were at the airship docks. But there were no ships.  
/Tseng?/

He was looking out over the ocean at the stars that were almost visible now that they were further from the central hub of the city.  
/Trust me,/ he said softly. She got a wary look in her eyes and edged away from him, tense.  
/What's going on?/ she whispered. /Tell me./  
/Bao... I need you to trust me,/ he turned to face her, hands held out to her. He wasn't armed but, she shrank back.  
/Not until you tell me what's going on!/ she stamped her foot, looking very much like the thirteen year old that she was. She was scared, this wasn't going to work. She was making this difficult.  
/I have never misled you nor harmed you. I need you to trust me,/ he took a step towards her, moving to grab her wrist and she danced away. His training of her had paid off, her foot work was fast and she was in a defensive stance now. He stood still for a moment and then lunged at her, he was taller and had better reach. Despite her twisting attempts at evading him, he caught her and her fists were hitting his chest and she was out right screaming.

The next instant she was silenced as he pressed his lips over hers. If it was from shock or terror he didn't know and didn't take the time to find out. His tongue pushing into her mouth, slipping a pill in, his hands around her waist, pushing some paper into her robes...

She was struggling again and pulled out of the kiss, and he let her go.  
/Goodbye Bao. Precious Bao.../ he whispered. She staggered back as he did, scrambling to get away from him and fell of the edge of the airship pier.  
Tseng watched her fall, saw her expression of confusion, betrayal, and fear as she fell. But then her eyes slid shut and she lost consciousness.

* * *

Bao's eyes snapped open and she was screaming. Only to find herself... not falling like she had been when she'd passed out. But... where was she? She was clothed still and on a bed, but it didn't _smell_ like Midgar... and just outside there was sunlight and the sound of birds.

/Miss Bao?/ a voice pulled at her from her confusion. A young man was standing in the door to the room. Instinctively she shrank away, but he put his hands up to show he meant no harm. /My name is Xian Yun, I am a contact of Tseng's. I... I have something for you from him... Might I approach you?/ the young man looked just as nervous and flustered as Bao. But she nodded and he came towards her, handing her an envelope.

She opened it with shaking hands and found a letter written in elegant Wutaian characters on parchment paper...

_My precious Bao,_

_If you've gotten this then you either made it to Wutai or I am dead and Xian Yun has collected you. I pray that it is the former._  
_I'm sorry I could never tell you anything. I had to get you out of Midgar, as things have taken an unfavorable turn within Shin-Ra for the Turks and to have you there any longer would have put you in find the money enclosed, it should be enough to take care of you for some time should you decided to embark out on your own-_

Bao dung through the envelope again and gasped at the small purse filled with gil... It was the amount that it had cost to buy her... She picked the letter up again.

_However, should you desire, I have made arrangements so that you can stay with Xian Yun. He is not much older then you and is from a successful merchant family. He will give you an honorable status, allow you to work and interact with traders and other merchants and allow you autonomy. This is of course should you desire to settle with him.  
The choice is yours. Whichever one you make I pray to the gods that you are happy, my precious Bao.  
May the gods bless you and your house and grant you peace and joy,  
And may Shin-Ra's shadow never cloud your door,  
~Tseng_

She stared at the letter for a long time and then looked at Xian Yun. There were no tears in her eyes, he had taught her that crying only made on weak and she would not cry over the chance at a new life. Over the future Tseng had promised her and given her.

/So this is Wutai. Tell me about it. About yourself,/ she tilted her head smiling slightly at him. Xian Yun blushed and she saw now that he was indeed just maybe five years her elder.

/Of course, but might I get you some tea first? You've been unconscious for some time.../

Bao laughed slightly, covering her mouth with her hands. /I'd like that yes please. Thank you,/ she added in afterthought, making a small bow to him.

* * *

"So whatever happened to her?" Rufus asked staring out idly over the skyline of Junon from his office.

"The same thing that happens to all precious things, sir," Tseng replied.

"You're lying to me Tseng," in the reflection the Turk could see Rufus's smirk as the blonde shook his head. The Turk said nothing and Dark Nation could be heard growling softly. "I thought she wasn't precious to you..." Rufus turned back to Tseng, eyes stormy and dangerous as he approached.

"If you believed me you would have never warned me about Heidegger's coming into power over the Turks," Tseng tilted his head.

"Who says I warned you? What's to say I didn't want her dead?" The Vice President countered, growling softly as did Dark Nation, her tail lashing about.

Tseng only shook his head, smiling slightly.

"What's so funny?" Rufus snapped irritably, glaring up at the Turk, damning that the Wutaian was taller then him.

"You are such a jealous little monster," Tseng stroked irritated bangs out of the blonde's face, and despite the scowl, smiled at him. Because it had not been Tseng who had supplied the money for Bao to get away. It had come from a mysterious benefactor, with only a note that had instructed Tseng:

_Treasure those things most precious to you. Hide them away from those that will destroy them._


End file.
